Hubble put aboard shuttle; `It's a very happy telescope'

NASA on Thursday successfully loaded its $1.55 billion Hubble Space Telescope aboard the space shuttle Discovery, which is poised for launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"It's in. It's a very happy telescope," space agency spokesman George Diller said.

The operation was completed by 2:55 p.m. Houston time, taking just more than six hours, about four less than expected.

Earlier this week, the fragile telescope's transfer from a launch-pad clean room to Discovery's payload bay was delayed by a small swarm of mosquitolike insects called midges that invaded the facility.

The midges were trapped by early Wednesday, and an elaborate process of preparing the telescope for transfer got under way.

Over the next few days, the telescope's electrical connections and its scientific instruments will undergo a series of tests to ensure they are functioning.

The Hubble launch is scheduled for April 12 at 8:21 a.m. Houston time. Top shuttle program officials will gather at Kennedy today and Saturday to assess launch preparations, and they could advance the launch date by a day or two.